The Sharpest Lives
by Holly Sophia
Summary: While chasing after a child murderer in St. Louis, the BAU is dealing with a new team member who is a perfect outsider. The team is being crippled from loss and disunity: perfectly poised to fall. Can they join together before they lose everything?
1. One

Hello everyone! Welcome to the sequel to Que Sera Sera called 'The Sharpest Lives'. Granted, it's not really a 'sequel' but merely a continuation of the first story. I am very excited about this, especially because people have told me that they're interested to see my character Gia in action with the BAU. I am too! This first chapter will be Gia-centric so I hope y'all will bear with me. Also, this story won't make much sense unless you read QSS first. So please do that!

Sad news before we start...AJ Cook is being written off Criminal Minds and Paget Brewster's role is being scaled back significantly! It really makes me angry with CBS. JJ and Emily are just as important to the show as everyone else is (even though I love Reid most). As long as they don't kill JJ, I'll be content. Can you imagine just how awful that would be? I shudder to think of it.

Now that that's been said, I hope you'll enjoy this first chapter of 'The Sharpest Lives'.

Love,

Holly Sophia.

XXX

FBI agent Gia Rosenwood drove her little red Mercury Sable into the first parking spot she could see, putting it into park before she simply sat there. It was almost six o clock in the morning on the first day she officially started as an agent of the Behavioral Analysis Unit. She had utterly no idea what to expect. Honestly, she was amazed that she had been given the job at all. Her field expertise was lacking, though she had graduated at the top of her class at the FBI academy which she supposed gave her an edge. Still, there was another part to the equation. She had only taken a few weeks to deal with the after effects of being kidnapped and tortured in Koty Abbott's basement for those God awful six days and it hadn't helped much. In the hospital where there were always people around and Spencer Reid was recovering from his wounds just down the hall, she felt safe…almost normal even. But when she was released and went back to her apartment, to the place where she no longer felt safe, any sense of normalcy had vanished. She started having nightmares which were so horrible that she abstained from sleep for a long while and hoped to God they would stop. It had been three weeks since her captivity had ended and the dreams continued to plague her.

"This is all happening so fast." She murmured to herself, smoothing out her black and silver pinstripe slacks in an effort to keep calm. It was only a blind hope that she had recovered from her trauma which allowed her to inform Section Chief Erin Strauss about her decision to start working. A true spot of luck kept her from telling her older brother Gabriel about what she'd gone thru or she would have never been able to leave her apartment. He would have flown to Virginia without a thought and locked her in her house for weeks on end. For her own good as he would say.

Gia scoffed. For her own good she'd have been turned into freaking Paul Sheldon.

"Ow." Her head throbbed painfully so she pressed a hand to her forehead. She was terribly achy and tired; really tired if she were honest with herself. It was six in the morning after all but that wasn't the only reason why she felt this way. She had another nightmare last night. It started the same way they all did.

_Gia would give Spencer a boost thru the basement window and when he was out; he turned around and reached down a hand to pull her up. The window suddenly vanished, as did her friend, and she screamed for him to help her. And then, HE walked into the room. Koty Abbott's red hair seemed to be on fire and his face was dark with an evil sort of malice. Her eyes widened as she saw the whip in his hand that seemed to grow with every passing second. She ran, ducking under his arm, terror growing as she hurried down the hallway and quickly wrenched a door open. All she could see was beautiful Summer Kivett lying dead on the ground with blood pouring from her gut. Summer opened her green eyes and crawled almost in slow motion on the floor towards Gia. _

"_Please, no!" Gia begged. "I can make it out of here! I still have a chance!" _

_Summer grinned maniacally, blood trickling down her face. "You never had a chance. You were dead the moment he brought you here. Just like me." _

_The raven-haired Summer grabbed Gia's ankle and started dragging her into the darkness of the room. Her body felt so heavy and she couldn't find the strength to fight. _

"_NO! Let me go!" Gia shrieked, utterly helpless. _

_Then Koty's voice whispered, "Here little girl. I want to play." _

A gun fired and Gia jolted awake, just like she had for the past few weeks. The memory of Koty Abbott may rob her of sleep every night but she wouldn't let him take her career in the FBI from her. There were some things she simply wouldn't compromise over. Gia knocked back a few aspirin and slung her purse over her shoulder, headed for the front doors of the Quantico field office.

XXX

The security check was routine enough considering her time in Kansas City: a full body scan for her and an x-ray for her purse. It took a bit longer to prove to the security guard that she was allowed to carry a gun into the building but she showed him her permission, signed by Chief Strauss herself, and he grudgingly allowed her passage. The main floor wasn't too busy since it was so early in the morning and caused her less stress trying to find the main desk. A woman sat in front of a computer, tapping away on her keyboard as she talked on a headset. The small agent waited quietly until she could talk, staring down at her silver flats.

"Hello, can I help you?"

"Yes, my name's Gianna Rosenwood…Erin Strauss said she'd leave me a pass here?"

The desk lady went searching thru some files and produced a lanyard which had a laminated pass attached to it. Gia pulled it over her head, lifting her auburn hair out of the way. "Can you tell me what floor the Behavioral Analysis Unit is on?"

"Number eight. You can't miss it."

The desk lady had gone back to her phone before Gia could ask anything else. So she searched and found the elevator on the far side of the main floor, quickly getting inside. It stopped on floor number eight and dinged when the doors opened. Not much was happening around here this time of the morning. Beyond the glass doors, there was a janitor vacuuming the floor and a man walking by with a stack of case files in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. She wondered—since she'd met them only once—if any of the BAU team would remember or even recognize her. There was only one way to find out.

"Here goes nothing." She murmured to herself.

Gia passed rows of cubicles and walked up a few stairs before coming to a stop in front of the door marked 'Aaron Hotchner'. After knocking several times, she assumed he hadn't come to work yet. However, one of the doors nearby was open and she walked over to it. She recognized the older, dark-haired man who was diligently slaving over some papers on his desk.

"Hello Agent Rossi."

He looked up with vague interest and then surprise. "Gia! Please, come in!"

Gia walked across his carpeted office and sat down in the leather chair opposite his. "How've you been?" He asked her politely.

"Just fine. How are you?"

"Good. Is there something I can help you with…?" He trailed off and Gia realized that Chief Strauss had failed to tell anyone that she started work today. Damn.

"Actually, I was trying to find Agent Hotchner. I'm supposed to meet with the supervisor since I start working here today."

Rossi looked surprised. "Oh?"

Gia nodded. "Yeah. Chief Strauss was supposed to tell Agent Hotchner about it but I guess she forgot."

"She probably did tell him but Hotch went on leave for a few weeks. So I've been put in charge in the meantime. I guess the information didn't make it all the way."

"It was kind of a last minute decision so that might be the reason." Gia explained, feeling silly.

Rossi stood to his feet. "Well, the important thing is that you start working here today. How about I give you a tour of the place?"

"That sounds great, Agent Rossi."

The older man stepped away from his desk, motioning towards the door with his hand. "Please, call me Dave."

XXX

They finished their tour right where they began; Dave's office. Gia was beginning to feel less like a fish out of water and it was only seven AM. "So now what?" She asked the older man.

He regarded her thoughtfully. "We have some case files you could start working on if you feel up to the job."

"What should I be doing exactly?"

"Looking over the evidence…trying to make heads or tails of who our Un-Sub could be."

She looked and also felt confused. "Un-Sub?"

"Unknown subject."

"Okay." She nodded. "I can do that."

Rossi went into his office, producing several case files. "I almost forgot the best part of the tour; follow me." He led her to an empty cubicle comprised of a desk, chair, and computer. "This is yours."

Gia touched the chair with awe, her auburn hair slipping over her eyes. This made it official somehow. Gianna Rosenwood, Kansas City's outcast, was really working at Quantico. A sense of pride filled her and she set the files down on the desk, marking her spot. Rossi tried to slip quietly away but she called out to him. "Dave!"

He turned around, curious about what she wanted. She smiled gratefully as she said, "Thank you." He smiled in return. "You're welcome."

It seemed like Gia had finally found a place in the FBI where she fit. Yet the day was young and the world had more to throw her way. Much more.

XXX

The night before Gia began her first day at the BAU, in the Midwest part of the United States—St. Louis, Missouri to be specific, someone else was awake. He was driving his rusty station wagon to the Chase Colton Public Park around midnight and there were very few people out on the road. The man was rather fidgety but tried to play it cool because he was slightly nervous. If he was caught, no one would understand why he'd done the things he had done. He did it for their own good…anyone could see that. These children were suffering and they had no way of escape. He merely provided them a way to never feel pain again. It was…merciful.

He drove the dirt road into the park as slowly as possible, scanning for anyone who might be hanging around. The only people who would be out here this late were probably gang bangers or lovesick teenagers but he didn't want to be discovered by either of them. His eyes gazed cautiously into the night and spotted the willow that he'd scoped out earlier that morning when his charge was asleep. He inched his car into the parking spot and silenced the engine. There was no noise which he could detect so he climbed out and opened up the trunk, revealing a small form wrapped up in a tarp. Poor little Markie; he felt pity for him. The boy was never meant to be awake when he took his life but he hadn't eaten the food provided for him. What seemed to his angel of mercy as a drug induced unconsciousness was actually natural slumber. He grabbed the tarp in both hands and slowly slid it onto the ground—the boy may have only been sixty or so pounds but he was simply too heavy. Especially when there was the man's bad leg to consider.

The willow tree was absolutely the perfect spot. He was convinced of it as he observed the boy, half exposed in the tarp with his arms folded over his chest. So peaceful, so painless. Mark no longer had to feel pain. But it gutted the man that he had to strangle the boy. _'No, no.' _He told himself. _'You had to help him. It's alright. But he wasn't supposed to feel it. None of them are supposed to feel it. If I hadn't done it, he would have screamed and someone would have found out. I had to!'_

He held his hands to his head, trying to silence the noise within. His guilt at Mark's death finally won out and he slipped the typed note under the boy's arms. It helped ease the remorse but the voices still lingered.

"Bye Mark." He whispered. "Hope you're happy, wherever you are."

He slid back into the driver's seat and started the car. It was almost one in the morning and he still had many more things to do. The car sputtered a few times before he drove away from Chase Colton Park, his mind set on the next person he was to help. He couldn't help the small smile that came to his face; this is what he was made to do. This was his destiny which he intended to continue until his heart stopped beating.

XXX

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I was initially reluctant to upload this story because it's too similar to what's going on with the show's characters. Still, I felt that what I owe you is just as important as being respectful and tactful. Let me know what you think please—I always love to hear feedback!

P.S. Extra brownie points for you if you can figure out the reference Gia made in the beginning.


	2. Two

Hello all! You've reached chapter two of The Sharpest Lives and I'm pretty stoked about it. Anyways, I grow weary of my incredibly long introductions so please; enjoy, leave me lovely comments, and keep watching Criminal Minds!

Love,

Holly Sophia

XXX

Technical analyst Penelope Garcia didn't consider it an oddity for her to be at work by seven in the morning. She was usually there anyways to turn on her computers, check her email (before it was on the FBI's time of course), and get herself ready for the onslaught which came with her job. Garcia loved her BAU team—they were her whole world really—but it seemed that lately, since Emily Prentiss had transferred and Hotch had taken time off, nothing was the same. Everyone was on edge and snappy over every little thing—even her dearly beloved Derek Morgan. Garcia only wished there was some way she could help her team besides being her usual cheery self.

"I know just the thing." She muttered to herself, snapping her fingers in revelation. Quickly vacating her office, she sped to the central hub of the BAU, her bright pink dress sashaying as she walked. Garcia hardly noticed the people around her as she headed to JJ's office, determined to bring some life back into her friends even if it meant getting them one at a time. Just as she thought these things—she caught sight of a little, auburn haired woman slaving over a case file at a desk. She seemed so familiar.

"Who are you?" Garcia wondered, trying to recall where she'd seen her before. It hit her all at once and the gorgeous blonde casually strolled up to the agent, a friendly grin plastered on her features. "Hello there!"

The female agent jumped out of her seat, scattering some papers. Garcia stifled a laugh. "Sorry about that; I didn't mean to scare you." She bent down to help gather the lost information and the female agent replied, "It's okay. I was kinda lost in my own little world."

"I know how that is." Garcia laughed, handing the papers to her. The woman took them gently and flashed a grateful smile which seemed like a signal for introduction. "I'm Penelope Garcia; you must be Gia Rosenwood."

Gia looked surprised. "Yes I am. How did you know that?"

"I work with Aaron Hotchner's team—I'm their tech analyst." Garcia tried to sound casual when she said that. Hopefully not inferring that she'd seen video footage which detailed the abuses Reid and Gia had suffered at Koty Abbott's hands. It seemed that something clicked in the agent's brain because recognition splashed over her face. "I'm glad to finally meet you, Penelope. I've heard loads about you."

Garcia smiled cheekily, "All good I hope."

Gia nodded, "Nothing but when it comes from Spencer Reid."

"Good boy." The blonde said, glancing in the direction of Reid's empty desk. "First day huh? How's it been?"

"Oh so exciting, let me tell you."

The sarcasm in Gia's tone absolutely delighted the tech analyst. Whatever amount of spunk this girl possessed was desperately needed in the BAU right now and Garcia reasoned she would do wonders with it. She replied to Gia with, "Just wait, the team isn't completely here yet. You'll have some excitement pretty soon."

"Can't wait." Gia said with a teasing grin on her face. Garcia patted the woman on the shoulder, wished her good luck, and continued her on her merry way to JJ's office. Things were definitely about to get interesting.

XXX

It was about five in the morning in St. Louis, Missouri and Police Detective Paisley Greer was pissed. The whole homicide division of the STL police department was running scared, trying to catch a child killer who was always a step ahead. This wasn't doing anything good for Paisley's reputation; especially since she'd released a statement saying in no uncertain terms that the police were handling this killer.

"Are we positive this is our guy?" Paisley asked before taking a sip of coffee, trying to wake herself up. Police Officer Matt Thomas nodded as he pointed to the pictures which the CSI's had taken.

"It's definitely him. Same type of dumping site, same posing of the body…he even left a note explaining why he killed this one."

Paisley groaned in frustration and Matt gently said, "You need to call the FBI. They said they'd send a team in if we needed it. We NEED them now Paisley. Our whole department's involved and we can't catch him. They can help us."

She observed him with her jade eyes before she said, "You know I hate having to beg."

Matt nodded. "I know but we're on our last rope here. We need the cavalry right now."

"Even if it's the feds."

"Yeah, even then."

Paisley finally gave in to him, "Okay." She went to her desk and dialed a number on her phone, listening to the dial tone. A female voice answered her call, "Agent Jareau." Paisley remembered the name well. This woman and her FBI team had solved many a case—hopefully they could pull off another miracle.

"Hello Agent Jareau, my name is Detective Paisley Greer. I'm with the St. Louis Police Department. Your Section Chief told me to give you a call if the situation here was becoming too much to handle."

Jareau sounded interested. "What situation are you dealing with exactly?"

"We have a guy in our city that's killed three children over the past two weeks—the fourth body just showed up this morning. Even with all the information we've collected, my department has yet to make an arrest and the public is getting very impatient with us. We could use some help Agent Jareau."

The tone in Jareau's voice sounded like she was just waiting for the word before she leapt into action. "Are you sure, Detective Greer?"

"Yes," Paisley said with determination. "I'm absolutely positive. This department is running crazy and children are turning up dead, despite all our efforts. We need your team right now."

There was a pause before Jareau replied. "Fax over all the information to me as soon as possible. I'll get my team together and we'll be there today." She relayed her fax number to Paisley who quickly scribbled it down. "Thank you Agent Jareau. We'll have everything to you in a few minutes."

"It's no problem. I'll check in with you when we land."

The detective hung up, breathing a sigh of relief before she turned to her male counterpart. "You got your wish Matt; the cavalry's coming."

XXX

Spencer Reid was having a regular morning; very routine—which was exactly how he liked it to be. He arrived at the Quantico field office around 7:30 and parked in his usual spot. His messenger bag was slung over his shoulder and he made sure to grab his cup of coffee before heading into work. After walking thru the front doors, he went thru security without even a second thought and rode up in the elevator to the eighth floor. Once he walked into the BAU offices, there was a steady stream of people walking or hurrying back and forth; carrying files, newspapers, cups of coffee, and various other items. Spencer looked over by the coffee maker and saw Derek Morgan vigorously stirring a cup of the liquid so he ventured over there.

"Morning." Reid greeted him.

"Morning." Morgan muttered darkly as he took out of his rage on the defenseless cup of coffee in his possession. His behavior was unsettling to the young profiler who could tell something was wrong with his teammate. "What's bothering you?" He asked curiously.

The intensely muscular man gave him a look like he should know already, and then replied, "Gia Rosenwood started working here this morning."

"She did?" Spencer was surprised. He thought for sure that she would have taken more time off to deal with her experience than this.

"You didn't know?" Now it was Morgan's turn to be surprised.

Spencer nodded, "I'm just as uninformed as you are."

"Did anybody know this girl started work here today? Cuz it sure doesn't seem like it."

Reid shrugged his shoulders in response. "Did Rossi know?"

"No, she got here early this morning and he had no clue she was starting."

"I guess Chief Strauss forgot to tell him." Reid suggested cautiously. Morgan huffed. "I don't mind telling you that I get tired of Strauss sticking people on our team because she thinks it's a good idea. That girl has no experience in the field, Reid!"

"Why does that matter?" Spencer inquired, unsure about where Morgan was headed with this line of talk.

Morgan was very clearly frustrated. "What does Strauss think this girl can offer us? No field experience, relatively new agent, barely trained to be a profiler…what exactly can she do?"

"She passed her certifications, Morgan. Gia is a profiler. Plus, she graduated at the top of her class in the Academy which shows a significant amount of determination and commitment. She's resourceful and she has good instincts. Give her a shot, okay?"

"I don't like her, Reid. Whoever she got to pull the administrative strings for this doesn't matter to me. She'd better prove that she can do this job or it's not gonna work."

Spencer looked at him seriously. "She will."

Morgan gave the lanky genius a look before he walked off towards his desk. Reid sighed; Gia certainly had it cut out for her here. He sincerely hoped she was up for the challenge. Just then, he caught a glimpse of her auburn hair on the other side of the room. "Hey Gia." He greeted her as he came to stand beside her desk. She looked up at his face and delight washed over her features.

"Hey! How are you?"

He smiled slightly, trying to act like he hadn't just been talking about her, "I'm alright. How's your—uh—first day going?"

"Pretty well, I'm swamped with case files but it hasn't been too stressful. The coffee here kinda sucks though."

Now he grinned, "Yeah, you learn to bring your own coffee after a while."

"I believe that." She took a sip from her coffee cup and grimaced. "It gets nastier as you get closer to the end." She threw the Styrofoam cup away in her trash then turned back to Spencer. "So what's going on with Agent Hotchner? Dave told me he took some time off?"

Spencer nodded. "He did. This last case was really hard on him and he needed to spend some time with his son for a while."

"That makes sense." She hesitated then asked, "Are _you _okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

She shrugged, "I don't know…I just wondered if you were feeling affects from, you know…before."

Spencer shook his head no. "Not really. I mean, I had to take some time off but only because Hotch made me. It didn't have a long lasting effect on me."

"How could it not?" Gia looked surprised and stared off into space like she was deep in thought. Spencer noticed this and asked, "Are you feeling any affects?" He observed the look of fear that flitted over her face before she quickly masked it. "No, not really. Kinda weird, huh?" Before Reid could question her further, Rossi walked over. "We have a case you two…head over to the conference room." Once Dave had walked off in that direction, Spencer glanced over at the petite woman. "Are you ready?" She shrugged one shoulder, replying, "As ready as I'll ever be I guess."

Spencer tried to smile encouragingly at her but had this weird feeling that something bad was coming their way. He shrugged it off and headed towards the conference room, Gia following behind him.

XXX

_harrietamidala1691__: Thank you very much! I'm glad that you're excited about this story. Now, in response to your question of JJ's departure, I thought about dealing with that in the context of this story. However I already removed Emily from the picture so it seemed a bit excessive to remove JJ as well. I may change my mind in the future but for now it's most likely not going to happen. _

_Morgo7kc: Oh, thank you for saying such a sweet thing! I enjoy writing from Gia's perspective quite a bit actually, just because she's so different and has a unique view on things. Paul Sheldon is actually the main character in Stephen King's novel 'Misery'. I was just making a silly joke about it. _

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers for responding so positively to this sequel! Sorry it took so long to update—I was counseling at summer camp for a while and there was (of course) no internet connection out there. I'll try to update more regularly from now on!


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